Fish Hooks Restoration Update: Our Garden

When we planted grass at Fish Hooks, we figured that would be the extent of our yard work, at least for a while. There were plenty of indoor tasks demanding attention. And though Tom and I had visions of a lush, tropical oasis of a back yard, as condo dwellers, we weren’t terribly sure where to begin. Fortunately, our Green Turtle Cay family, friends and neighbours stepped in to help.

The very first flower to bloom in the garden at Fish Hooks, courtesy of my cousin Alton.

My cousin Alton Lowe and his friend Mike Donovan brought a selection of clippings from Alton’s amazing garden, including sisal, aloe, bromeliads, yellow frangipani (a.k.a. plumeria) and shrimp flowers. I’m especially excited about the latter, since Alton tells us it was my great-grandmother, Ma May, who first introduced shrimp flowers to the cay.

Shrimp flower

Our western neighbour, Eileen Hodgkins, gave us an entire pot of showers of gold (a.k.a. thryallis) she’d grown from seeds. Another day, she stopped by with adwarf poincianacutting, and when I admired the fragrant blossoms on her neem tree, she graciously offered us a clipping.

A white frangipani tree, courtesy of Fanny McIntosh.

Our neighbour to the south, Winkie Wilson, brought us a handful of baby coconut trees. Another friend, Fanny McIntosh, gave us a young frangipani tree she’d rooted from a clipping. Donnie Adderley, our electrician, contributed a lily plant, and our gardener, Charles Smith, added a small mango tree, a chenille plant and several croton clippings.

As horticultural newbies, Tom and I are grateful for the gardening advice we’ve received from Josh Lowe, Nigel Lowe and Leonard Lowe (who’s responsible for the gorgeous gardens at the Leeward Yacht Club), and for the extra sprinkler our friend, Matt Lowe, lent us to water our oasis-in-the-making.

The first blooms on our yellow frangipani tree.

Today, we have more than fiftynew plants and trees in our yard, all — except for an avocado tree I sprouted from a pit — generously given to us by family and friends!

It truly is a community garden — a lovely, living reminder of the friendship and kindness extended by so many to Tom and me throughout our Fish Hooks journey. Thank you to everyone who’s helped bring it to life.

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6 comments for “Fish Hooks Restoration Update: Our Garden”

Byron Miller

June 4, 2015 at 10:05 am

I can’t wait to how it looks in person when we get down in December. When I owned a house on GTC it always killed me that since I didn’t spend more time there that I couldn’t grow things so I guess I will live it vicariously through you.

Byron, I know how you feel. We’ve planted fruit trees, but I don’t know how much we’ll be here to enjoy. Oh, well… It’s fun watching things grow while we are here. Where was the house you owned on the cay?

Shelby I used to own Island Daze which is just before The Other Shore Club. sadly had to sell it but will enjoy the memories of having my own piece of GTC. BTW the original owner of my old house had sketched out where all the plants were on a plot plan and it was kinda cool to see what was still there 40 years later.

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This blog represents the convergence of some of my favourite things – writing, Bahamian history, Green Turtle Cay, and Fish Hooks, my ancestral home. Here, I share our Abaco adventures and document the restoration of Fish Hooks, an 84-yr-old cottage built by my great-grandparents on Green Turtle Cay, one of the Abaco Cays in the Bahamas.